120 acres from the left side of this photo for 770 acres on the right side makes a compelling deal for Mt. Hood - if it were allowed to happen.

Why is everyone so angry at the Forest Service these days? The federal agency with jurisdiction over Mount Hood and its glaciers, forests and streams is getting slammed by senators, sued by citizens and ridiculed far and wide for its inertia, nit-picking and general cluelessness over the Mt. Hood Land Exchange. Why?

After years of lagging behind Skibowl and Timberline in summer activities due to Forest Service restrictions, Mt. Hood Meadows is moving decisively into year-round attractions with its biggest lineup yet of August events and concerts, plus a promising foray into summer camps.

The vast majority of the 4 million visits to Mount Hood each year are people driving their personal vehicles, generating congestion, parking problems, pollution and unsafe driving conditions in bad weather.

Bicycle Transportation Alliance Executive Director Rob Sadowsky has spent the last 10 years advocating for urban bicyclists, and he’s never seen a worse stretch for bike crashes than he did recently in Portland.